LAHORE - Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief executive Syed Ashraful Haq said on Tuesday that there was no security issue in Pakistan for holding international cricket events and the ACC was striving for resumption of international cricket in this country.
Talking to the reporters during his visit to National Cricket Academy (NCA) along with ACC Development committee members and PCB chief, Syed Ashraful said: “We are fully aware of the cricket affairs in Pakistan and believe there is no security concern as far as holding of international cricket is concerned and we are supporting Pakistan on this issue.”
He said the final decision of bringing international cricket back to Pakistan be taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after taking into consideration every aspect. “ICC is the competent authority to take the final decision and will be fully support Pakistan’s stance for the resumption of international cricket in the country,” he added.
The ACC official said the Asian cricket body was endeavouring for the cause of cricket development in Asia by mobilizing its all recourses. “We will be distributing US$ 6.1 million among the 18 countries of Asia for the development of cricket.”
He said the ACC meeting, which held at Islamabad, granted affiliation to three Asian countries including China, Afghanistan and Cambodia. “We are expanding the base of cricket in Asia and granting affiliation to those countries which are engaged in the rapid promotion of the game and it is a part of our development plan,” he added.
He said China was emerging as a strong force in cricket and in next 10 years, it is likely that it will establish its reputation as a strong cricketing nation.  PCB chief expressed the optimism that international cricket would return to Pakistan next year as the board was making all-out efforts in this regard. “We are very confident about return of international cricket in the country. Though there will be a lot of hurdles in achieving this aim yet we will be overcoming all such hurdles with mutual understanding and efforts,” he said.
He said the ACC meeting helped enhancing the confidence of participants and to portray a soft and better image of Pakistan.
“It was a very productive meeting in which ways and means were discussed for the development of cricket in Asia and we look forward to host similar ventures in future as well,” he added.